BY ANDREW MONSON
PC: gokiwibot
Kiwibots are the newest arrival to the list of added resources brought onto campus this month, but some are questioning if they are necessary.
Introduced in January, Kiwibot and Sodexo came together to create a more efficient way to get food on campus.
The Kiwibots deliver to every major location on campus and deliver food from ABP, the Commons, and The Hill, which is meant to save students time and energy, but the increased wait times that have come with the new software have left some wondering if they are as useful as intended.
“It takes over an hour to get food that I can walk 10 minutes to get,” said Stonehill senior Melody Allen.
The long wait times are not the only downside found by students about these new robots.
“We have to pay a delivery fee out of pocket which defeats the purpose of using a meal plan to order ahead,” said junior Madisyn Vieira.
The $2.69 delivery fee plus the increased waiting time are two running quarrels students have found with the Kiwibots, but students have also found benefit with these robots.
While these robots are fairly reliable and efficient, there have been some hiccups with the experimental run.
“We are still in the learning stages as every campus is different, so we welcome the learning curve and using it to better our software,” said Julian Echeverri, the global operations and expansion manager of Kiwibot.
A notable feature of these new robots is their emission free operation.
“Our robots are fully electric and do not have any emissions which means we can deliver on a greater scale while still being environmentally friendly,” said Echeverri.
This expansion of Kiwibots presence on campus has allowed for some humorous moments.
One student reported to have seen one falling down a flight of stairs at the College Center. Kiwibot said this can be attributed to its expanding mapping software according to Kiwibot themselves.
“We are constantly updating our software to improve our capabilities especially when it comes to mapping and creating easier routes,” said Echeverri.
They are occasionally found stranded around the Sports Complex and have to be retrieved by the on campus Kiwibot engineers.
When the Kiwibots were first introduced to campus in the winter of 2021 to digitally map out the campus, one found its way into the pond where its waterproof exterior was tested until its eventual demise a week later after mapping out the bottom of the lake almost perfectly.
Despite their flaws, some students said their adorable nature and ability to deliver food to anywhere on campus allows for the conversation to be had on just how necessary they are to Stonehill.